The Strangers
by Harvest-M00n
Summary: Set after the film The Strangers starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, this is about Shelley, who on her 18nth birthday is attacked by masked assailants, who maybe aren't all strangers to her after all...
1. Chapter 1: 11pm to 2am

The Strangers

This is a story designed to bridge the gap between The first Strangers film and the second one, which is upcoming. Please review or comment, I don't mind any constructive criticisms. Okay, enjoy!

"_Can't we leave it til tomorrow night?"_

"_Too dangerous. It wasn't so hard last time, was it?"_

"_I don't understand why, though."_

"_If you didn't want to part of this, why did you join us?"_

"_I- okay…tonight, then."_

"This is a great party, Shelly," the boy with floppy brown hair and startling green eyes said.

"I know, isn't it? And here I was thinking everyone was going to be bored stiff," grinned Shelley. Her long blonde hair was down tonight, freshly washed and conditioned, and her blue eyes were outlined by thick black eye makeup. She looked beautiful. It should have been the best night of her life-her 18nth birthday, a huge party, and everyone was enjoying themselves, dancing to the music, chatting and laughing. But something was ruining it...

"Tom…do you...do you think…" she began, suddenly, inexplicably filled with emotion.

"What?" said Tom, watching her carefully.

"Oh, nothing," Shelley said, turning away. She was being stupid again, she knew. After all, it had been months now since…

"She'd be here," said Tom quietly. "There's still a chance they'll find her, Shell."

Shelley felt tears prick her eyes. She turned away so Tom wouldn't see.

"Sorry," she laughed. "I'm just…let's go get something to eat."

It had been exactly 4 months, 2 weeks and 3 days since her twin had gone missing. Her twin sister, whom she loved more than anyone in the world, even more than her parents. They'd done everything together, and looked so similar even their parents couldn't tell them apart some days. When she'd gone missing, Shelley had felt torn apart. She'd got depression, lost all hope, had to go into hospital because she attempted suicide. All her friends pretended it hadn't happened, they didn't want to ruin her night. Especially Tom. If it wasn't for her ex boyfriend, Shelley thought she'd have gone mad- even more so.

"Hey Shell!" It was Kathy, one of Shelley's best friends. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, her red hair swept up into a clip, her brown eyes shining.

"Hi, Kathy," Shelley beamed, hugging her tightly. "How's the party?"

"It's amazing, Shell. Honestly. Can I still stay over tonight?"

Kathy always slept over on Shelley's birthdays, and vice versa. They'd been friends since Primary school. Tonight, Kathy, Shelly, Tom, Matthew (Tom's best friend) Chloe and Amelia (two other good friends of Shelley's) were staying over.

"Sure. That'll be great. We can go shopping tomorrow or something, if you want."

"Cool! Right, well, I'll see you later… I'm going to find Matthew or someone. Bye!"

Kathy ran off. She was always excited and happy. That was why Shelley liked her. She was kind and friendly to everyone, unlike many people that she knew… ones who'd turned on Shelley after she'd been admitted to hospital, saying she had drink problems, or other unkind rumours. In fact, apart from the ones staying over tonight and a few others, Shelley didn't know who to trust.

The night went on. People got louder and louder. Shelley found herself being swept into a whirlwind of excitement, not caring about the mess she made to her parents beautiful summer house. She'd worry about that in the morning, and anyway it couldn't be that bad, right?

As Tom was going to the bathroom, he passed the hallway, and heard a knock at the door. A late party guest? He went to answer it, ready to welcome whoever it was in, with a cheerful smile on his face.

But when he opened the door, he saw…no one he recognised. Either someone had smashed the porch light or it wasn't working, and everything was total darkness. Tom wondered what time it was… didn't he have work tomorrow?

"Is Tamara there?" asked the woman standing there. She had dark hair and that was about all Tom could tell, it was way too dark to see anything else.

"Uh, who? Are- are you here for the party?" said Tom uncertainly.

"Is Tamara there?" repeated the woman unnervingly.

"Um, no, sorry. You must have the wrong house, I guess. Bye." Tom shut the door, feeling a little creeped out. What sort of a weirdo goes knocking on people's doors at about 4 o clock in the morning? Putting it down to some sort of messed up prank, he pushed it to the back of his mind and went to the bathroom- after making sure the door was definitely locked.

"_Well?"_

"_No. Not yet. We'd never get away with it."_

"_Oh."_

_She tried not to sound relieved._

"_We can try again later. It's only…" _

_He paused to check his watch._

"_20 to 2. We've still got time."_


	2. Chapter 2: 2am to 3:25 am

The Strangers

This is Chapter 2 of the Strangers, or at least, a story that's set after the first one… enjoy peeps!

It was 2.00 am and a lot of people had work or college in the morning. The party should have gone on way longer, but when people started calling taxis on their mobile phones, Shelley understood why. She said bye to everyone, in fact, more people than she expected- it seemed that half the people here weren't actually invited. How come she hadn't noticed? She rubbed her temples, trying to ease her growing headache. Thank god for Tom. He sorted everyone out, even helped tidy up the worst of the mess. When the last guest finally left (Jerry and Sophia, stumbling away laughing- Tom looked worried about them) at about half past 2, Shelley was just about ready to collapse.

"Shelley? Are you alright? You look ready to collapse or something," said Chloe, putting a kind arm round her.

"Just tired, Chlo. I'll be fine. I think I'll go and get the sleeping bags from upstairs though…Tom and Amelia are cleaning up the mess in the living room."

"No, it's okay. I'll get everything sorted, you sit down. Just take two…or ten…or maybe even twenty." Chloe rushed off upstairs before Shelley had time to object.

Shelley wandered into the kitchen and sat on a bar stool, unaware that someone was creeping up on her from behind…

"Shell?"

"Kathy?! You scared me!"

"Sorry, sorry! I just wondered if you wanted a drink? I'm getting Tom and Matthew one so I thought…"

"That'd be great, Kathy. I don't know what I'd do without you guys…"

Without exactly knowing how or why, Shelley burst into tears.

"Oh, Shelley! Don't cry!"

Kathy gave her a huge hug. Amelia ran in.

"Kathy? What's up with Shelley?"

"Oh, I'm just being silly," cried Shelley, wiping away her tears as best she could.

"Tissues needed urgently!" said Amelia, grabbing some out of the box on the kitchen side and mopping her up.

"Don't cry, you'll mess up your mascara, and all your beautiful eye liner."

"I can't- stop- thinking about-" Shelley tried to sob her sister's name but she was crying too hard.

"Oh, Shell. You shouldn't give up yet. They'll probably find her soon. I'll bet she's wishing you a happy birthday right now, wherever she is."

"Are you guys okay?" asked Matthew uncertainly, hovering in the doorway. "'Coz Chloe's got all the sleeping bags sorted out so…"

"Yes, we're fine," said Shelley, composing herself as best she could. She wiped away a mixture of tears and mascara.

"You've still got panda eyes," teased Amelia, wiping them away with her thumb. Shelley forced herself to giggle, though it was the last thing she felt like doing. She opened her mouth- and there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, I'll bet you anything that was Stephanie. She forgets _everything_," sighed Shelley, and she went to answer the door.

She was too late though- Chloe had already got there.

"Sorry, there's no one like that here. I think you should get yourself home, it's late out, and there's all sorts of idiots around. Bye." She shut the door.

"Who was it?" asked Mathew, curious.

"Just some woman asking for someone who wasn't here. Are you alright, Shelley?"

"Sure, sure. Shall we get ready for bed now?" asked Shelley anxiously.

"Wait," frowned Tom. "Did she ask for someone called Tamara?"

"Uh, yeah. Are you psychic or something, Tom?" laughed Chloe uneasily.

"She came about an hour ago or something. I told her she wasn't here then, too."

"She might have special needs or something," giggled Amelia.

"Do you have any chocolate, Shell? I'm starving," pleaded Kathy.

"I think there's some in the fridge…Cadbury's? Help yourself. I'm going getting ready for bed. I'm so tired."

"Me too. That doesn't mean we're going to sleep, though," said Matthew, grinning at Tom.

It was then they heard the window smash…

They all turned as one, staring unbelievingly.

"It came from upstairs," said Tom. "Quick. Come on!"

They all bolted upstairs, Shelley's heart hammering. What would she tell her mum and dad? They'd be angry for sure…

Through the window in the master bedroom, someone had thrown a brick, and it was lying on the floor in amongst the shattered glass. A breeze blew in through the huge gash in the window, making Shelley shiver.

"Who'd do that?" wondered Amelia out loud.

There was silence for a bit. Then Tom went to the window and looked outside.

"There's no one out there," he said, a bit nervously.

"No one at all?" whispered Kathy, her eyes wider than normal.

Tom shook his head.

"Should we call the police?" asked Matthew. "That's like, criminal damage."

"Yes, definitely," said Chloe, snapping back into action. "And your mum and dad, Shell. You won't get into trouble for it. It's not your fault."

They all crept downstairs, Shelley and Tom making sure to lock the master bedroom door- just in case.

Matthew picked up the phone and dialled emergency services, then put the phone to his ear. Then he blinked, bending down and picking something up off the floor.

"Oh, God," said Chloe, running her hands through her hair.

The phone wire had been cut. They couldn't phone for help.

"But… if we were all upstairs…that means…" stammered Tom.

"Someone got in, cut the wire, got out. And we didn't realise," said Shelley, much more calmly than she felt.

A cold chill ran through all of them, and they all thought the same question- how?

"Check all the windows," said Amelia. "And the doors. Quick."

They ran from door to door, window to window. Shelley had always loved that her parent's summer house was so big. Now she wished it wasn't. She made sure all the windows and doors were locked, the curtains all shut. But the house wasn't impenetrable. That was what made Shelley so nervous and worried. She knew it was probably nothing, a cruel prank gone a little too far. All the same, it didn't stop her fearing the worst.

Amelia was closing the dining room's French door. It was as she was closing the curtains she noticed someone standing about 100 metres away. She gasped. The person wasn't moving. It wasn't clear if they were a man or a woman. Amelia wasn't sure whether she should call out to them, ask if they were okay. She peered closer. They looked strange, out of place. What were they doing?

BANG.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

A shrill, terrifying scream came from one of the many living rooms. It sounded like-

"KATHY!!!!"

It was Tom. Him and all the others ran to the room it came from. Kathy was lying on the floor, propped up on her elbows, staring at the window and hyperventilating, her eyes wide with shock.

"Kathy! What's wrong?" gasped Shelley, bending down to help her friend up.

"There was- someone- at the- window," she choked. "A man- with- a bag over his- head. He banged- and- scared me…"

"Oh my god," whispered Amelia.

"Right, from now on, we all stay together," declared Chloe.

It was obvious Kathy wasn't making it up. She was so frightened it was unnerving.

Shelley paused, counting them all.

"Where's Matthew?"

No one spoke. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

"Matthew?!"

"MATTHEW!" bellowed Tom when there was no reply.

"I'm going upstairs," said Chloe.

"I'm coming too! Please don't leave me," begged Kathy, starting to cry.

"It's okay, Kathy, it's okay," soothed Amelia. "We'll all go together, right, Tom?"

They all went upstairs, sadistically curious and scared at the same time. Chloe was the first to enter where they thought Matthew was.

She let out a shrill shriek, and stumbled backwards out of the room, her chest heaving, tears spilling down her cheeks. Shelley dared to look inside anyway, though she was terrified of what she might see.

She expected the worst and she got it- Matthew was dead. It looked like he'd been stabbed through the chest and stomach. Dark stains soaked through his grey T-shirt and the top of his jeans. His eyes were staring blankly in fright, his mouth open a little. Blood was splattered on the wall behind him.

Shelley swung the door shut and locked it before anyone else could see. Matthew had been a great friend. He was so kind and funny, friendly. She couldn't believe a whole life had just been taken like that. She'd never hear him laugh again, or speak to him. He was gone.

But she couldn't wait for it to sink in.

"Shelley? Is he alright?" asked Tom, though he knew as well as anyone what had happened. Shelley didn't reply.

"But-but-" stuttered Amelia. "That means that…there's at least two…I saw someone from outside the French door…and- that means there's someone inside the house!"

Kathy whimpered in terror. Shelley swallowed, resisting the urge to scream. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It said 3:25. Then she turned back to her friends. Whatever this was, it was definitely not a prank.


	3. Chapter 3: 3:25am to 4:10am

_**The Strangers**_

_**Next instalment of the story set after the film, The Strangers. Hope you enjoy! **_

"_**What are we going to do?" asked Amelia.**_

"_**We're…oh!" Shelley couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. "We can call the police on our phones!"**_

"_**Yes!" Kathy was so relieved she practically passed out.**_

"_**But…mine's downstairs," confessed Chloe. "Matthew-" she trembled a bit when she said his name, "said to hide them in the safe just in case, so that during the party no one would steal them."**_

"_**You mean…the cellar?" Shelley stared.**_

_**Chloe nodded. The cellar was more of a huge basement. If all of them were down there, they could easily be trapped by the killers. And if one was upstairs, and everyone else in the cellar, they'd be an easy target.**_

"_**What about your phone, Shelley? Where's that?" asked Amelia, panicking.**_

"_**It broke. My mum and dad were getting me one for my birthday…when we went back home…" Shelley broke off thinking of her mum and dad, and home. If only she was back in their lovely house with their dog, Cookie, and lots more houses nearby. No, if only she could rewind the clocks back to 5 months ago, before her sister started acting strange, staying out late at night, missing college lectures…**_

"_**We have to split up then," said Tom. **_

"_**Are you crazy?" hissed Amelia. "With those freaks after us? We're too weak apart!"**_

"_**We'll end up like Matthew!" said Kathy, hyperventilating again.**_

"_**No. No one'll end up like Matthew. We'll all be okay. And if we all go together, there's even more chance of us dying. Yes, Chloe, dying. Any more objections?"**_

_**They all kept quiet.**_

"_**Okay. We'll split into two groups, then." Tom paused, looking at them all. "I'll go with Kathy and Amelia. Chloe, you and Shelley should double check ALL the doors and windows. But first… we need something to defend ourselves with."**_

_**Tom had never looked so serious in his life. Shelley felt as though she was watching all this from behind a screen, as though it was happening to her but she couldn't be hurt or killed like they could. And from the look of the others, they did too.**_

"_**We'll go down to the kitchen quietly. We'll get all the knives to defend ourselves with. Then we'll go and get the phones from the safe, call the police. We'll all be okay. Believe me."**_

_**But Tom couldn't even convince himself. **_

_**As they cautiously walked down to the kitchen, Shelley listened hard, but she couldn't hear anything, and they easily reached the kitchen safely.**_

"_**Here," said Kathy, breathing out. "Look, and there's knives here. They've not taken them…"**_

_**Each of them grabbed a weapon. Shelley felt a lot safer knowing she wasn't defenceless. She wasn't going to die. At least, not yet.**_

"_**We'll be back in a minute. Meet us in the bathroom, Shelley. It's got the safest locks. Don't worry. We'll all be okay." Tom hugged Shelley and Chloe. The girls hugged each other as well. After all, how could they know if they would ever be able to see each other again?**_

_**All too soon Shelley and Chloe found themselves alone. **_

"_**I guess we should make a start," said Chloe, laughing shakily.**_

"_**Yes. I guess so," said Shelley, completely out of it for a couple of seconds. She was remembering years ago, when she was just a little girl and she'd been playing in the garden on her swing with-**_

"_**Shelley? Shelley!" Chloe was raising her voice with worry.**_

"_**Sorry! I was just day dreaming," said Shelley. "Please try and stay quiet, Chloe, or they might hear us."**_

_**They began to check every door, every window, every lock. There was nothing to suggest any one was in here except-**_

"_**Sh-Shelly!" stammered Chloe. "Look at the window…"**_

_**Shelley stared. Not only was the curtain pulled back, written in red lipstick on the window were lots of 'Hello' and little love hearts. **_

_**And then a face appeared at the window.**_

_**Both Shelley and Chloe screamed long and loud as though the world was going to end. Chloe grabbed Shelley and they stumbled backwards. The person at the window wore a white mask with pursed lips, and she had brown hair, and was wearing a red top. She banged on the window hard, each time hitting it harder, so the window panes rattled and the glass shook. **_

"_**What do you want!!!" screamed Chloe, suddenly rushing forward with her knife. She hit the glass back, so hard the woman on the other side stepped back. She slammed her fists on it, causing cracks, screaming. Shelley was more scared of Chloe now than of the woman in the mask. She scrambled behind the sofa, her hands over her ears, tears streaming down her face as though she was a child hiding from her parents fighting. This had been one of her favourite spots when she was playing hide and seek as a child with her family.**_

_**Suddenly, Chloe's screams got louder. Shelley heard her kick and yell, bursting into tears. Daring to peek over the arm of the settee, she saw a horrifying sight- Kathy's man in a mask was dragging Chloe away. **_

"_**SHELLEY! HELP!!!" she screeched, and then one of her kicks landed on its mark, right in the man's face. He yelled something, then dived on Chloe, something shining in his hand. Chloe let her breath out in a huge whoosh. Her eyes went dim, as though the life had drained out of her. She was dead. **_

_**And Shelley had done nothing to help her. **_

_**She didn't dare looking any more. She hid back in her spot behind the sofa, until she heard the man leave. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she let tears pour out of her eyes. But she was crying so hard that she couldn't refrain from wailing out loud.**_

_**It was a big mistake.**_

_**Someone grabbed her from behind.**_

"_**GET AWAY!" screamed Shelley, forcing herself forward.**_

"_**Shelley! It's me!"**_

_**It was Tom.**_

"_**Oh, god…Tom!" cried Shelley, collapsing on the sofa. "They killed her!"**_

"_**What? Who?!" said Tom, his eyes wide with fear.**_

"_**Chloe. They dragged Chloe away and then he stabbed her hard, and…"**_

_**Shelley couldn't explain any more. **_

"_**Shelley, I thought it was your blood on the floor…are you…Shelley…"**_

"_**What?" **_

"_**Chloe shouted down to us saying you'd split up and she was fine. She said to still meet us at the bathroom…"**_

_**Anger dried Shelley's tears.**_

"_**Are you calling me a liar? I saw one of my best friend's die and you say I'm lying?"**_

"_**No! Of course not. But if it wasn't her…"**_

"_**It was someone pretending to be her. Which means they were upstairs before. They killed Matthew. They heard our plan."**_

"_**And…Amelia and Kathy are still in the cellar…"**_

_**In the space of two seconds, they were running as fast as they could through the hallways and the kitchen, down the stairs into the cellar. **_

_**But no one was there.**_

_**No blood stains, no signs of a struggle. **_

_**The safe was open but there were no phones in it. Either Kathy and Amelia had them, or the strangers had got there before them and took them.**_

_**It didn't matter which way, they weren't getting any help off the police yet.**_

_**They'd have to come up with another plan before the murderers found them, and they became the next victims.**_

"_**Should we go up to the main bathroom?" asked Tom.**_

"_**No. If the killers are there, then Kathy and Amelia…wait! They might not be there yet! Tom, we can save them!" **_

_**Shelley shot off faster than she'd ever thought possible, not caring if the killers heard her footsteps or breathing. Tom followed behind, and caught her shoulder.**_

"_**What? Tom!"**_

"_**We should turn off all the lights. We know our way round. They don't. And we should be careful near windows and doors."**_

"_**But…"**_

_**It would slow them down so much! But if they were dead, they couldn't save Kathy and Amelia, could they?**_

"_**Alright," said Shelley, a little sheepishly.**_

_**They set off, turning out every light, feeling there way past furniture, hardly daring to breathe for fear of being found by the killers. But they made it all through the downstairs rooms safely, out into the hallway, onto the stairs, turning off every light as they went.**_

"_**Do you think she's okay?"**_

_**Shelley froze, hearing voices from the top of the stairs. She could feel Tom holding his breath behind her.**_

"_**Shhh, Kathy! They might find us," whispered Amelia. It sounded like she might have been crying before.**_

_**Shelley let all her breath out in one go and felt Tom do the same.**_

"_**Kathy! Amelia!"**_

"_**Shelley? Tom? Where's Chloe?" asked Amelia, relieved and anxious at the same time.**_

_**Tom and Shelley looked at each other. Amelia and Chloe had been best friends since pre school.**_

_**Amelia knew what the silence meant. More tears filled her eyes, spilling out over her face.**_

"_**We were best friends," she wept. "We'd always been best friends, we were always going to be best friends…"**_

_**Kathy put her arm round her. Shelley felt an overwhelming guilt. If only she'd been a little braver, a little stronger…**_

_**But now wasn't the time for sympathy or guilt. Glancing at the clock in the dim light, Shelley could see it was 4:10. Just a few more hours and it would be dawn. But they had no phones, no means of communication. The strangers were going to get more than two victims before the night was over, and all of them knew it.**_

"_**Two down. How many to go?"**_

"_**You're turning into a serial killer. I thought we messed with them first."**_

"_**It's easier just to get on with it. When there's only a couple left, then we get mess with their heads."**_

"_**Save some for Dollface, she hasn't even hurt one yet."**_

"_**It's not like you want to, is it? I don't know why you joined us."**_

"_**I will, alright? But I can't **_**find**_** any. And it's weird. I'm sure this house is familiar."**_

_**The other two glanced at each other and burst out laughing.**_

"_**What?"**_

"_**You, you idiot. Come on. I want that boy, Tom, he thinks he's so strong."**_

"_**I'd better watch out. You always seem to be after the men."**_

"_**Except you, obviously. Quick, it's like 4 am or something. It'll be dawn soon."**_


	4. Chapter 4: 4:10am to 4:24am

The Strangers

This is Chapter 4 of my story set after the film The Strangers.

"So you don't know where the phones are?" whispered Shelley to Amelia and Kathy.

"Not a clue. Do you think those freaks have taken them?" whispered Amelia back.

"I don't know," replied Tom. "But what I do know is I'm getting out of here."

"Tom, it's about a twenty minute walk to the nearest house…if they're even in. You know how isolated these holiday houses are. God!" Shelley ducked her head, feeling another onslaught of tears coming.

"Well, I'm still going for it. We can either stay here and get murdered by these psychos, or at least try and save our skins. It's up to you- but I'm trying."

"Tom, please. Don't. You're our best friend! We need to stick together," said Kathy, beginning to cry.

The poor girl's terrified, thought Shelley, staring at her uncertainly. But then again, it's not as if I'm not.

"Come with me. You've got a much better chance out there than in here, where at least one of them probably is." Tom glared at them. "I won't ask again."

Fear was making him desperate, Shelley knew. But she didn't know how to calm him down.

"Is no one coming with me?"

Amelia looked away, as did Shelley.

"I'm coming," said Kathy surprisingly. "I know I'm going to die in here. Out there it's open terrain. You don't have to- but Tom's right, we've got a better chance."

"Amelia? Shelley? You're actually staying?" asked Tom incredulously.

"Yes," said Shelley confidently. "I know where I stand here. For all we know there might be more of them, lurking outside in the woods, waiting for us to try- to try something like you and Kathy are doing now."

"Well then…I guess this is…goodbye," said Tom.

There was a deep silence. Each couple knew that they would probably never see the other one again.

Shelley and Tom hugged each other hard, then Shelley and Kathy, and Amelia hugged them too.

"We can hide in the cellar," whispered Amelia, just in case someone was listening. "It's got lots of nooks and crannies to hide. We'll also have the element of surprise."

"We'll go out the back way. It's safest," whispered Tom. Both of these were located in the kitchen, so they snuck off to get to their locations, hopefully safely.

Shelley thought she heard someone moving upstairs. Evidently the others heard it too, because as they crept into the kitchen, they all looked up as someone creaked about in the master bedroom.

"Who is that?" whispered Amelia.

"I don't want to know," said Kathy, shivering. Her and Tom walked past the kitchen side towards the door- and suddenly Tom squeezed his face up in pain, his mouth open in a silent scream. A pool of blood was pouring on the floor, out of his ankle. He collapsed.

Shelley could feel the pulse pounding in her ears. _Tom…_

It was then the man in the mask from before, the one who'd murdered Chloe, stood up, holding a huge knife with Tom's blood stained on it. He'd been hiding down there, waiting for someone to come past. He'd slit Tom's Achilles tendon beyond repair…Tom, Shelley's closest friend…

No one moved for a split second, but it seemed like hours. Giving Shelley time to remember when she and her sister had been playing hide and seek around the house. The spot where the man had hidden was always her favourite place to hide. Shelley had never been able to find her when she hid there…

"TOM!!" screeched Amelia, and dived at the man, as Kathy ran off in the opposite direction.

"NO! AMELIA!" screamed Shelley, but it was too late; her friend had shoved the man to the floor and now they were wrestling beside Tom. Then there was a horrible sound, like something being punctured…

"Amelia…"

The man's huge knife had gone right through Amelia, all the way through her stomach and out of her back, staining her clothes deep red. Amelia paused as though to catch her breath, and then fell limp.

Shelley felt a huge pang as she realised that it was her and, if found, Kathy. Everyone else was dead. These sick killers had butchered everyone she cared for, everyone she loved.

But they weren't going to get her.

She turned and ran outside, wrenching the door open and running as though she was flying. Her hair flew back, her throat hurt, tears stung her eyes, but she didn't stop running.

Not til she heard a car approaching.

Turning round, she knew it was help, they were going to help her. She was saved. Everything was going to be okay.

"HELP!" she shrieked, her legs almost collapsing on her. She waved with both arms.

"HELP ME!!!! PLEASE!!!!!"

The car, a Ford truck, stopped beside her, and the door opened. So thankful she could barely breathe, Shelley stumbled inside and shut the door, closing her eyes.

"Thankyou," she panted. "Thankyou so much. There's someone in the house back there…they killed my friends…three freaks in masks…please, we have to call the police or somebody…"

No reply.

Shelley turned round in the seat and stared at the brown haired woman in the car, with the pin-up like mask on. She didn't know why, but she just didn't feel surprised any more.

The woman hit her hard round the head with something that felt like a brick. Shelley felt blood pour from the cut as she sank back into unconsciousness. The last thing she saw was the clock on the dashboard in bright green digital letters.

4:24.

Then the brick slammed down on her head again and everything went black instantly.


	5. Chapter 5: 4:24am to 10:42am

The Strangers

Chapter 5. This is (as you probably know by now) set after the film, The Strangers. Enjoy!

Shelley's head was pounding so hard she could hardly see.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh…." she groaned. She forced her eyes open, but in the sudden light, everything swam, and she closed them again. She tried again, this time with better results. Blinking, she realised she was alone in the main living room. A huge patch of blood, where Chloe had been killed, was a horrible reminder that everything that had happened really had happened- it wasn't a dream.

Even worse was the fact that the same was probably going to happen to her.

"Shelley?"

"T-Tom?" her mouth was hard to control, but she managed to sound out the word without much slurring. She turned her head, feeling the dried blood on the side of her head crack. She winced at the pain.

"Are you okay?" asked Tom. He had a black eye and his lip was swollen- obviously, he'd put up a fight.

Shelley could see he was tied up to a chair, his hands bound behind the back of it, so he couldn't escape. With a sense of horror, as she began to wriggle and stretch, she realised she was in the same situation.

"Why is this happening?" asked Shelley helplessly.

Whatever Tom was about to say, it was cut short by someone entering the room quietly from behind.

Shelley closed her eyes, waiting for whatever happened next.

"Shelley? Tom? Are you alright?" whispered Kathy from behind.

"Kathy! Quickly, let us out!" hissed Tom. "And thank god you're okay! I thought you were…"

"When I let you out," said Kathy, cutting through the bonds that held Tom to the chair, "Run outside, deep into the woods. There's three of them, two women and a man. We can find civilisation and…"

She cut short on hearing the stairs creak. Someone was coming downstairs…

"Hurry up!" cried Shelley, struggling against the ropes without any avail.

Kathy cut faster- and the bonds holding Tom snapped. He stood up, rubbing his wrists and midriff. But it was too late for Shelley.

There came a woman's gasp from the doorway behind them, and, twisting herself round as far as she could so she could look the woman straight in the eye, all Shelley saw was Tom dive on her, punching her hard in the ribs.

"TOM!" yelled Kathy, but before she could join him in attacking the woman on the floor, the brown haired woman ran in, her mask and clothes splattered with blood. She ran towards Kathy, raising her huge knife.

Kathy was quicker. She lunged in and there was a sudden flash- and then the brown haired woman screamed and dropped the knife, clutching the inside of her elbow. Dark blood spurted, staining the carpet. Then Kathy made the mistake. She dropped the blood covered knife, staring in horror- and the woman on the floor, who Shelley saw had blonde hair exactly like hers, picked it up, and stabbed Tom straight through the shoulder with it.

Tom gasped in pain, grimacing, unable to scream. The woman picked it up and brought it down again, this time at the back of his neck, the base of his spine. It killed Tom instantly, over in a second, but to Shelley it seemed to last a lifetime.

Her best friend Tom was dead. In a split second, a whole life had disappeared, gone.

They'd never laugh together or chat together again, they'd never play badminton in the summer or watch a film together in the winter. Never again.

Shelley stared and stared and stared as the blonde woman pushed Tom's dead body off her and stood up with her back to her. She kicked him so he turned face up, blood still seeping through his T-shirt.

Just as the murderer turned around, the brown haired woman seized the knife out of Tom's body and slit Kathy's knee with it.

The red haired girl sank backwards, right into the TV, smashing it and giving her another injury to her arm as the glass punctured it and the wires electrocuted her badly. Tears rolled down her face.

The man in the mask, his mask a little wonky, stumbled in. The two women turned and stared at him angrily. He glared back, then turned to Shelley, raised his hand, and hit her hard round the wound from the brick. Shelley was already woozy, and even if she hadn't been, it would have been a terrible blow. She sank back, almost gratefully, into unconsciousness.

Consciousness came faster this time. Now Shelley was in another room. She'd been moved. For a minute, she didn't remember anything- then it all came flooding back. Tom, Amelia, Chloe, Matthew… all dead. And Kathy?

"Shelley?"

Kathy was tied next to her, with a pool of blood on the floor below her from her knee and her arm. Shelley's head felt better than before, and now she could think a little better, too. But what did it matter? She knew she was going to die anyway. All she could hope for was that it was quick.

She remembered a long time ago, back when her and her sister and her family and friends were all okay, back a few months ago.

"_Where are you going?" Shelley had asked her sister as she applied all her makeup._

"_I'm going and meeting a couple of friends," her sister had replied, smearing lipstick on her face._

"_Not those lot again," Shelley groaned- her sister had recently started hanging around with a group of people who she didn't like._

"_What's wrong with them?" asked her sister, turning round and glaring._

_Shelley stared. What was wrong with them? Ever since she'd started hanging around with _those _two, her and her sister had been growing apart._

"_Stop staring at me," growled her sister, applying blusher in the mirror now. _

_Shelley looked at what she was wearing. A stupidly short skirt and two vest tops, one black, one bright green with an off the shoulder sleeve, and high heels. Shelley was wearing DKNY jeans and a McKenzie top. _

_At one time they'd have wore the same thing. _

_Now Shelley wore clothes that her friends wore, and vice versa, the same went for her sister._

_And then, a few months after, her sister had gone missing. Never to be seen again…_

Kathy was staring at Shelley.

"Kathy, I'm okay."

"No, you're not, and you know it. Neither am I. Shelley, I won't be able to tell you this again…"

"Don't say that!" cried Shelley, but she knew it was true, and Kathy looked at her, making her wish she'd kept quiet.

"You're my best friend, Shell. Really. Better than Chloe and Amelia and Matthew and even Tom."

Shelley kept quiet.

"Same here, Kathy."

They smiled at each other.

And then the killers entered. The man in the mask, the brown haired girl with the pin up mask, and the girl with the doll mask with blonde hair and green eyes exactly like Shelley's.

Exactly like Shelley's.

It was her twin sister.

As much as Shelley didn't want to believe it, and as much as she'd rather be beaten half to death with a brick all over again, it was true, and she knew it.

Shelley whispered her name.

The other two, who she didn't recognise, turned to the blonde killer.

Shelley stared at the clock in the corner, which read 10:42. She'd been unconscious all morning.

Then she turned back to the blonde killer.

She bent her head, and took off her mask.


	6. Chapter 6:10:42am to 11am

**The Strangers**

**Chapter 6 of the Strangers, a story set after the film. This is the last chapter… I hope you enjoy it!!!**

"**Why did you do it?" asked Shelley, looking right at her.**

**Her sister couldn't meet her gaze. Kathy let out a whimper, drawing a sour look from the brown haired girl.**

"**Answer me!" demanded Shelley, suddenly feeling like the one standing over her sister with two killers, and not the one tied to a chair, about to be murdered.**

**Her sister opened her mouth, and closed it again.**

**The man in the mask nudged the twin. She turned to him. It was as though they had their own private language only they could understand, because the twin shook her head.**

"**What? What's happening?" whispered Kathy.**

**Shelley didn't answer. She had a very good idea of what was about to happen to them, but she couldn't say it out loud because that would make it seem so much more real. **

**The man in the mask turned to the brown haired girl, who glared at the twin, then turned and left the room.**

**The man in the mask stared at Shelley, cocking his head on one side. She stared back resolutely, then turned to her twin, who looked about to burst into tears.**

"**So you ran away with these two psychopaths? Left me worrying about you when really you were murdering innocent people? And tonight, our friends?"**

**When her sister didn't reply straight away, Shelley said her name, spitting it out as though it was a swear word.**

"**I didn't kill any of them!" her sister yelled suddenly, jerking her head up to meet Shelley's burning emerald eyes. "It was all-"**

**The man in the mask grabbed her arm before she could give away their identity. **

**The twin glared at him and then shook herself free.**

"**I only killed Tom because he was going to kill me," said Shelley's sister, as though it were Tom's fault.**

**Shelley felt a sudden burst of anger.**

"**Because he thought you were going to kill him! He thought he was going to die! And do you know what? I wish he had killed you! You deserve to die! I hate you! I stayed up every night waiting for news of you, hoping they'd find you, even after what you said to me that day before you disappeared. I hate you, -"**

**She finished with her sister's name, and then their was total silence. For a moment, her sister looked as though she'd been winded, then her face hardened. **

"**I missed you too, Shelley, but if I came back to see you you'd tell everyone I was okay and then mum and dad would tell me to come home and it would all be ruined. I'm not a murderer! I-I…I've only killed three people, and that includes Tom!"**

**Shelley couldn't say any more. She was too angry, too heartbroken. Everything had changed. She was going to die. Her own sister was going to watch her die.**

**The brown haired woman came back- with a huge knife, as big as the one the man in the mask had used to kill Amelia with. She lay it on the floor for a moment, then pulled her mask off. Shelley didn't recognise her. She was quite pretty, but not as pretty as Shelley's sister. Her dark eyes skimmed across Shelley and landed on Kathy. Kathy glared back resolutely, if terrified.**

**Then the man in the mask pulled the sack off his head. He was incredibly handsome and Shelley blinked at him, but it didn't lessen her unbelievable hatred of him. She didn't recognise him, either.**

**The man and the brown haired woman stared at Shelley's sister. **

"**Do I have to?" she asked.**

**They nodded darkly.**

**Shelley's twin picked up the knife and came towards her with it.**

**Shelley whimpered her sister's name, all her earlier courage gone. "Please don't do this to me," she whispered.**

**Her sister bent down to her level. **

"**I have to," she replied, too quiet for the other two to hear. And then she stabbed Shelley, right in the stomach.**

**The pain was so intense that Shelley simply stayed still, frozen in time. The blood roared in her ears. She could vaguely hear Kathy screaming and her sister beginning to cry. Then the knife was drawn out of her, and if anything the pain intensified. Shelley tilted her head back, beginning to scream, as her sister passed the knife to the handsome man, who, with a sadistic grin, stabbed her in the stomach, in a different spot to her twin. **

**Spots exploded in front of her eyes, and her ears popped, as she felt warm blood pour down her stomach and her legs onto the carpet. She was practically dead, she knew it. She could only hope Kathy's death would be less painful. **

**As Shelley sank into unconsciousness for the last time, she glared right at her sister, showing her how much pain she'd caused, physically and mentally, and how she'd insulted her that last day, when she'd told Shelly she'd end up with no life, living on the streets in London, and her twin wouldn't lend her a penny. Then her vision blurred and all she could see was the clock, and the hands pointed at exactly 11am.**

**THE END**


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